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Hampstead Garden Opera’s production of Dido at the Gatehouse, Highgate |
Lament to remember
IT'S one of the greatest final scenes in opera, sung and recorded by the world’s top divas, the final lament “When I am laid in earth” in Henry Purcell’s masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas.
So there was some trepidation whether Emma Watkinson would recover from a nose-bleed and rise to the occasion in the Hampstead Garden Opera’s production of Dido at the Gatehouse, Highgate, on Saturday.
Although the start of her lament gave few grounds for confidence, she gathered her singing skills together and launched powerfully into the final “Remember Me, Remember Me”. Sung well, “Remember Me” is riveting stuff and Emma’s top G certainly made my hair stand on end.
The HGO’s Dido is coupled with John Blow’s Venus and Adonis, both opera written in the 1680s.
Classical plots of both are so tortuous that neither is staged often, performances usually limited to the concert hall. But concert performances tend to sag in places, losing momentum.
The HGO’s small-scale productions directed by James Hurley maintain their pace at the Gatehouse, benefiting greatly from the acting.
As usual, soloists are young singers starting out on their careers. Lucy Roberts singing Venus in the Blow was quite outstanding and Ashley Riches made for a strong Aeneas in the Purcell.
While the chorus was in fine voice, articulation was erratic, words discernible here but not there.
The small Dionysus Ensemble was excellent with Oliver-John Ruthven conducting from the harpsichord.
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